Theoretical-Methodological Approaches to the Study of Electoral Participation

Political science has dedicated an important part of its effort to the study of how individuals act in relation to a political system, and for this reason the study of political behavior is considered a sub-discipline of this science. Within this framework, analysis of electoral participation and abstention have been abundant, both because they constitute outstanding elements in citizenship conduct, and because of the consequences and effects they have on political systems. Political participation has been studied from very diverse analytical perspectives that imply theoretical approximations and different methodologies. The objective of this paper is to present different focuses that can be appreciated in the studies of political participation and electoral participation. These focuses are not mutually exclusive, but can be considered as principal focuses in order to theoretically approach studies of contemporary political behavior. In each of the four focuses presented key aspects and variables are examined that attempt to explain electoral participation in the framework of a theoretical model. As a corollary, a vision is offered of present tendencies that are developed in this research on electoral participation.